Another two more micro moths for my year list & a trip to the Cemy.

 

Tuesday 28th July 2026.

A Nutmeg moth. It has been a good month for this species in my garden.

Though overcast first thing this morning, there was no wind and the temperature at 5.30am was a balmy 19 degrees. I had the Moth Box on overnight in the garden and a reasonable number of Moths were logged. There were also a few bird sightings and even a couple of Dragonflies hawking about the gardens.

 

My Moth Box:

My first Pale-streaked Grass-moth of the year. These are annual to my garden, but in very low numbers compared to other Grass-moths.

Two more micro moths were added to my year list this morning that included a Pale-streaked Grass-moth (Agriphila selasella) and the very small Common Fern Moth (Psychoides filicivora). Both species are annual to my garden, and the latter species can sometimes be seen flying around the garden during the daytime hours.

Above, a Common Fern Moth. This was also new for the year and a regular annual Moth species and below, the Cream-bordered Green Pea micro moth. 

There was just the one each of Jersey Tiger and Garden Tiger moth this morning and I was lucky to grab a photo of it as it flew off towards the back of the garden. Both Nutmeg and Golden Twin-spot are good notable records as was my third Satin Wave of the year. Micro moths outnumbered macro moths with the Light Brown Apple Moths numbering at least 20 individuals in and around the Moth Box. A Cream-bordered Green Pea was present again; a species that is uncommon in my garden but seemed to be a bit more frequent this year. A total of 66 moths of 26 species were recorded this morning. The Moths this morning included the following:

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Jersey Tiger x1	Copper-fringed Drab x1
Nutmeg x1	Pale-streaked Grass-moth * x1
Blair’s Mocha x1	Garden Grass-veneer x3
Common Rustic x2	Hawthorn Moth x1
Riband Wave x1	Apple Leaf Miner x14
Willow Beauty x1	Hampshire Dowd x1
Cabbage Moth x1	Common Masoner x1
Golden Twin-spot x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x20
Satin Wave x1	Common Plume x1
Pale Mottled Willow x5	Cream-bordered Green Pea x1
Garden Tiger x1	Common Fern Moth * x1
	Dark Moss-moth x1
	Box Tree Moth x1
	Brown House Moth x1
	Tree-mallow Tortrix x2

 

The Garden Tiger moth on the patio this morning.

A few Lacewing and Ladybirds were present within the Moth Box while overhead, a very high flying ‘chattering’ Swallow was flying northbound over the garden. A 'Willowchiff' was flitting about in my neighbour’s tree towards the back of the garden, calling occasionally, but busy chasing small insects. Even more notable was the two Migrant Hawker dragonflies flying around the gardens, but still none of them settled as they searched for prey.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

The yellow grass within the Cemy due to the lack of any significant rainfall over the past several weeks.

I had the day off today and wanted to give the dogs a pleasant morning walk. Because of the heat, I decided not to take them too far and chose a gentle stroll around Highland Road Cemetery. It was not too warm there, with temperatures around 23 degrees, and a light westerly breeze made it quite pleasant in the sunshine. I had read that a Pied Flycatcher had been seen in West Sussex yesterday, so there was always a chance one might turn up in the Cemy.

Above, one of the Painted Lady butterflies on the Buddliea plant near the main entrance and below, one of two Migrant Hawker dragonflies by the Holm Oaks.

With very few birds about, my attention turned mainly to insects and plants. I saw my first Clouded Yellow butterflies of the year here this morning, both flying around the east side of the cemetery. Neither settled for a photo, speeding low over the yellow grass, but I had better luck with a pair of Painted Ladies on a small Buddleia bush near the main entrance.

Above, a Speckled Wood butterfly basking in the sunshine and below, a Meadow Brown butterfly on Ragwort.

Other butterflies seen included Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Small White, Large White and Red Admiral. A Garden Tiger moth of the yellow underwing variety, was flushed near the Mausoleum and soon disappeared from view. As I approached the Holm Oaks, I noticed two dragonflies hunting below the trees and, thankfully, one settled. It was a male Migrant Hawker, so I quickly took several photos. Southern Migrant Hawkers have been seen recently along the south coast, so hopefully it is only a matter of time before I find one.

Above, one of several Red Admiral butterflies seen this morning and below, a Gatekeeper butterfly on Common Knapweed.

Despite the lack of rain on the south coast, a wide variety of plants was still on show. My wife told me last night that Southsea’s last significant rainfall was on 22 June. Cornflower, Fleabane, Ragwort and Scentless Mayweed were among the many flowers still in bloom around the cemetery.

Above, a tall clump of Purple Toadflax and below, a tall clump of Ragwort.

Above, there was a line of plants growing close to the footpath that included Scentless Mayweed, Cornflower and also a clump of Borage. Below, the straggly grass was growing a bit taller over in the centre of the Cemetery.

As mentioned, birdlife was very quiet, although I heard two Willowchiffs calling from different parts of the cemetery. A pair of Blackbirds searched for food near the entrance footpath, while a Collared Dove was also seen there. Very little else was heard, apart from brief calls from a Blue Tit and a Wren.

Above, a Collared Dove on the main footpath and below, a female Blackbird searching for food on the short grass.

Above, I heard several Grasshoppers calling including this Common Field Grasshoper and below, the two Painted Lady butterflies near the main entrance.

Knowing it would soon become much warmer, I took the dogs home before it got too hot for them. It had been a pleasant walk, and seeing my first Clouded Yellow butterflies of the year was a welcome bonus.